Mike Elko liked what he saw.

On Texas A&M's opening possession Saturday against South Carolina, the Aggies lined up for a field goal on fourth-and-seven. Instead, holder Tyler White flipped the ball to kicker David Olano, who managed three yards before being stopped short.

Elko explained afterward that South Carolina gave the Aggies exactly the defensive alignment they wanted.

Perhaps he's right. A failed gamble doesn't automatically make it a poor decision, and there's no guarantee Olano would've converted the 47-yard field goal anyway.

But the fake field goal is hardly the most concerning part of Saturday's loss.

Two weeks after surrendering a fourth-quarter lead at Alabama, Texas A&M did it again, falling 17-9 to No. 21 South Carolina.

The Aggies entered both fourth quarters leading. They've been outscored 24-0 across those two periods, with neither game ending particularly close.

And the circumstances behind each collapse deserve a closer look.

Against Alabama, Texas A&M managed 15 yards over its final three possessions. Every drive ended in a three-and-out, allowing the Crimson Tide to turn a 20-17 deficit into a 31-20 victory.

South Carolina was a different story.

READ MORE: Aggies Recap & Takeaways: Texas A&M Wastes 457 Yards, Fails to Score TD in 17-9 South Carolina Loss

The Aggies moved the football effectively for much of Saturday, particularly on the ground. Rueben Owens II rushed for 137 yards, and the defense limited South Carolina to 109 rushing yards.

Yet seven of Texas A&M's eight penalties came after halftime.

Consecutive false starts turned second-and-goal from the seven into second-and-goal from the 17, eventually contributing to a missed 30-yard field goal. A fourth-quarter defensive holding penalty later extended South Carolina's go-ahead scoring drive.

Elko acknowledged the issue afterward.

"I felt the tone of the second half was penalties," he said.

That's a fair assessment. But why was a team coming off a bye week making so many mistakes after halftime?

Marcel Reed deserves criticism for taking a 14-yard sack on fourth down late in the game. The offensive line certainly isn't exempt, either.

Still, Elko and his staff had two weeks to prepare for South Carolina, and the Aggies' inability to maintain their composure suggests those preparations weren't sufficient.

READ MORE: Texas A&M's Offense Has Just 9 SEC Touchdowns in Six Games

Elko doesn't deserve all the blame for either loss. His defense kept Texas A&M competitive against South Carolina, and Saturday's improved rushing attack suggests the bye week wasn't entirely wasted.

But how much credit does that earn him when the Aggies still couldn't protect another fourth-quarter lead?

There's a difference between a player making an isolated mistake and an entire team repeatedly struggling when the game gets tight.

And Texas A&M's problems are becoming awfully difficult to dismiss as isolated mistakes.

Elko has Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas remaining on the schedule, leaving little time to address what went wrong over the last two fourth quarters.

Perhaps the fake field goal was the right call. Perhaps the blocking was exactly what the coaching staff envisioned, and the execution simply wasn't there.

That's a reasonable defense of one decision.

But what about the penalties? The failed fourth-quarter adjustments? The inability to protect consecutive leads against ranked opponents?

Those aren't isolated gambles. They're recurring problems that Elko and his staff are responsible for correcting.

And with Tennessee coming to College Station next Saturday, explaining why one fake field goal should've worked matters considerably less than explaining how Texas A&M intends to stop losing games it enters the fourth quarter leading.

Source: Yahoo Sports